Means for balancing and regulating the lift of aircraft



. F. H. PAGE.

ATI

GULATING THE LIFT 0F AIRCRAFT. LED DEC. 6. I92].

MEANS- FOR BALANCING APPLIC F. H. PAGE.

MEANS FOR BALANCING AND REGULATING THE LIFT 0F AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC, 6. I921- IPa-tented July III, 1922.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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warren STATES FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE, OF LONDON,

PATENT IFFHE ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR r HAND EY race LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 11922.

Application filed December 6, 1921. Serial No. 520,422.

To allwkom'it may concern:

Be it know that I FREDERICK HANDLEY PAcE,,a subje t of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Balancing and lRegu- 'lating the Lift of Aircraft, of which the following is a' specification. s

In order to vary the relative lift of the wings on the port and starboard sides of an aeroplane flying machine .to maintain the lateral stability of said machine about the axis of flight, or to cause the lift of both wings on opposite sides of said machine to be increased, flaps or ailerons, hereafter termed flaps, are usually provided, being hinged adjacent their forward edges to the rear edges of the wings, and which flaps can be increased in angle or turned downwards as required by means operable by the pilot, and which means are so well known as not to call for description in this specification, and,- the object of the present invjention is to provide means, as hereafter described and claimed, bywhi'ch the efiectproduced by such hinged fiaps is greatly increased.

I have ascertained, as the result of numerous experiments, that by the wing having a slot or slots through the wing structure from the under surface to the upper surface 1 and extending inlength transversely to the line of flight, the lift'of such a wing can be increased by admitting air from the under side to the uppersideof the wing surface by way of said SlOtwsOI slots, and when the wing is flown at large angles of incidence the lifting efi'ect is considerably increased. As a further result of experiments I have found that the openings of the slots on the under surface of the wing structure should preferably be larger and more forwardly located than the openings on the upper surface.

Now the present invention consists in utilizing and adapting the above mentioned method 01;" increasing the lift, to augment the lifting effect produced by wing flaps when the latter are increased in angle or receive a downward movement about their hinges.

According to the present invention each flap, which is carried by a pivot pin or equivalent hinge member supported from the rear part of-the wing, is formed or constructed with a through, slot extending transversely of the line of flight and permitting of the passage of air from the under surface of the wing structure to the upper surface of the flap, and means are provided to effect the closure of the said slot when the flap is in its normal or in its raised positions, and to open the said slot when the flap is increased in angle by being given a downward movement about its pivot or hinge member. Preferably the slot extending from the under surface to the upper surface of the'fiap is larger on the under surface than on theupper surface of said flap, and the walls of said slot are preferably curved rearwardly from the lower surface to the upper surface.

The invention will be further described with referenceto the accompanying drawings which sufficiently illustrate the rear portion of a wing with a hinged flap coacting therewith, the said drawings illustrating two constructions. Figs. 1 and 2 show respectively the flap in its normal position and the flap" turned upwards, in both of which positions the slot through the flap is closed, while Fig. 3 shows the flap turned downwards. in which position the said slot through the flap is open.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views corresponding to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but showing an alternative means of maintaining the closure of the slot through the flap when in its normal and upturned positions. and automatically opening said slot when the flap is turned downwards.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, 1 represents therear portion of an aeroplane wing, 2 representing the rear spar of the wing. The wing flap 3 is hinged or pivoted near" its forward end to the wing structure by a hinge member of any suitable construction, and as indicated in the drawings, the flap 3 is hinged at 4, the

'- ward direction from its openingon the unof the slot 5 in the flap 3, and an arm 11 is der surface to its opening on the upper surface of'the flap 3.

According to this invention means are then provided to effect the closure of the said slot when the flap is in its normal position as at Fig. 1, or in its raised position as,at Fig; 2, and to open the said slot 5 when theflap is increased in angle by being brought into the position as at Fig. 3 where it has receiveda downward, movement about its hinge member, 4. To effect this in the construction shown at 1 to 3 a shutter. 6 consisting of a plate of any suitable material is permanently fixed by screws or other means at its forward end at 7 to the wing structure 1, the said shutter extending rearward over the upper surface of .the flap 3 for such a distance as to close the mouth of the slot 5 on the upper surface of the flap 3 when the latter is in either of the positions shown at Figs. 1 and 2. y L

Means are provided for retaining theshutter 6 in surface contact with the wing flap 3, and in the example shown the shutter is slotted and a headed pin 8 passes through the slot and is fixed to the wing flap 3 so that when the wing flap 3 is moved about its hinges the pin 8 Wlll be drawn along the slot of the shutter 6.

When however the wing flap 3 is turned downwards about its hinges 4, it will be observed that the slot 5 is opened, the mouth on the upper surface of the flap being located at thattimebeyond the rearward edge of the shutter 6. i

Referring to the construction shown at Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the mouth of the slot 5 on the upper surface of the wing flap 3 is closed.

as at Figs. 4 and 5, by a shutter 9"hinged at 10 to the rearward wall of the .slot 5 of the wing flap, while the forward end of the shutter 9 is in contact with the forward wall fixed to the axis of the shutter 9, which arm p'ro ects upwards and is drawn rearwards by a spring 12 fixed to the arm at one,end and to the flap 3 at the other end, so that until the arm 11 is acted upon, the shutter 9 is closed and prevents air passing from the ifindeg' surface to the upper surface of the ivoted at 13 to theespar 2 of the wing 1 is one end of a link 14, the rearward end of which is formed with a slot 15 which engages a pin on the end of the arm 11, and'the slot is such that the link 14 does not act upon the arm 11 in either of the positions shown at Figs. 4 and 5, that is it does not act on the arm 11 when the wing flap is in the normal position as at ,Fig. 4, nor does it act on the arm 11 when the flap is in the upward position shown at Fig. 5, and conse suction e ect over the flap in spite 0 quently. in both of these positions the shutter 9 is held closed by the air pressure beneath the surface of the wing structure and by the action of the spring 12.

When however the flap 3 is turned downwards about its hinge 4, as shown at Fig. 6,

the pin on the arm 11 which has reached the rear end of the slot 15 of the link 14, is

therefore increasing the lift on that wing to which it is attached, the increase in lift is augmented for the reason that not only is the lift secured due to the angle iven to the i v flap, but additional 11a is gained due to the air passin through the slot maintaining- Ellie e considerable angle imparted to the flap.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In laterally balancing or regulating the lift of the wings of aeroplane flying machines, the combination of flaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge members located adjacent the forward end of each flap and connected to the main wingstructure to pivotally support said flap, said flap having a slot extending from the under surface and adjacent the forward end of said flap to the upper surface of said flap, sald slot extending in length transversely to the line of flight, and-means in operative con nection with the main wing structure open said slot in said flap when the latter is turned into its downward position to admit i of the passageof air through said slot from the under surface to the uppersurface of said flap and to close said slot when sald wing flap is in its normal or raised positions.

2". In laterally balancing or regulating the lift 'of the wings of aeroplane flylng machines; the combination of flaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge members located adj aoent the forward end of each flap and connected to the main wing structure to pivotally support said flap, said flap having a slot extending from the under surface and adjacent the forward end of said flap to the upper surface of said flap, said slot extending in length transversely to the line of flight, a shutter carried by said flap to open or close said slot in said wing flap, and means to connect said shutter to the main wing structure to open said shutter carried by said flap when the latter is turned into its downward position to admit of the passage of air' through said slot from the under surface to surface,

the upper surfaceof said flap and to close said slot by said shutter when said wing flap is in its normal .or raised position.

3. In laterally balancing or regulating the lift of the wings of aeroplane flying machines; the combination of flaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge members located adjacent the forward end of each flap and connected to the main wing structure to pivotally support said flap, said flap having a slot extending from the under surface adjacent the forward end of said flap to the upper surface. the opening of said slot on the under surface of said flap being larger than the opening on the upper surface, and the walls of said slot being curved rearwardly from the lower surface to the upper and means in operative connection with the main wing structure to open said slot in said flap when the latter is turned into its downward position to admit of the passage of air through the said slot from the under surface to the upper surface of said flap and to close said slot when said wing flap is in its normal or raised positions.

4. In laterally balancing or regulating the lift of the wings of aeroplane flying machines; the combination of flaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge members located adjacent the forward end of each flap and connected to the main wing structure to pivotally support said flap, said flap having a slot extending from the under surface and adjacent the forward end of said flap to the upper surface of said flap, said slot extending in length transversely to the line of flight, a shutter comprising a plate fixed at its forward end to the upper rear surface of the main wing structure and extending rearwards over the upper surface of said flap, and means for retaining said plate in contact with the upper surface of said flap while permitting of movement of the latter relatively to said plate, said plate composing said shutter extending rearward over the surface of said flap for such a distance as to close said slot through said flap by said shutter when said flap is in its normal or raised position, and to leave said slot of said flap open when said flap is turned into its downward position to permit of the passage of air through said slot from the under surface to the upper surface of said flap.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE.

Witnesses THOMAS WILLIAM ROGERS, WILLIAM A. MARSHALL. 

